The Young Staff Reads Deathly Hallows
by bexypants
Summary: Dumbledore, Slughorn, Dippet, McGonagall, Hagrid and Tom Riddle all read a book brought by some visitors from the future.  Takes place in McGonagall's seventh year/Tom's sixth year/Hagrid's third year.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Okay, I have no idea if this has been done before, but the idea just popped into my head and I got excited. I hope you enjoy it :) **

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I own any of the bolded text or any of the characters mentioned. If I did, I doubt this would be published on fanfiction. I'd be making millions like the brilliant J.K. Rowling.**_

The year was 1943, and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was open for another semester of magical education. After the Chamber of Secrets opening the year before, it was doubtful whether or not the school would still be running for another year. But the culprit was caught, albeit still allowed to live on school grounds. The students were getting off the Hogwarts Express on September the first and making their way to the thestral-drawn carriages. Seventh year Minerva McGonagall climbed into one along with her friends Poppy Pomfrey and Rolanda Hooch.

"So, Min, how does it feel to be Head Girl?" Rolanda asked, practically jumping in her seat.

"I can't believe it! Professor Dippet was hesitant to give me the position, considering all the extra work I'm doing this year – damn!" Minerva started to say before catching herself.

"What extra work?" Poppy said loudly, earning her a shush from Minerva.

"Well, no one is supposed to know about this, but I'm going to train to be an Animagus this year!" she told her friends in a hushed voice.

"WHAT?" Rolanda yelped.

"You can't tell anyone!" she insisted.

"We promise," Poppy said, shooting Rolanda a look. They spent the rest of the ride to the castle in silence. When they finally arrived at the school, the students were greeted by the games keeper and led into the Great Hall. While enjoying their meal, Minerva noticed a boy at the Slytherin table staring at her. It was Tom Riddle, the boy who had been infatuated with her since his first, her second, year.

"Tom won't stop staring at me!" Minerva whispered to Poppy.

"Well he's only been in love with you for the past six years," her friend said sarcastically as she brushed her off to finish her dinner. When the meal ended and Professor Dippet had given his usual speech, she and her friends started to make their way towards the Gryffindor common room. She was stopped before she left the doors, though, by a familiar face.

"Miss McGonagall, would you mind staying after for a bit? I'd like to discuss something with you," Dumbledore told her.

"Of course not, Professor," she said with a smile. He lead her towards the Head table where the rest of the teachers were sitting. Also there were three people who appeared to be about her age, yet who she had never seen before.

"Armando, if you don't mind, I'd like to begin reading tonight," Dumbledore told the Headmaster.

"Of course, of course. Horace should be fetching Tom now. Now, where is it you three said we should read this book of yours?" Dippet asked the three unknown teenagers.

"The Room of Requirement, it's across from the Barnabas the Barmy tapestry," said the girl. She had long, bushy brown hair and a few scars on her face and hands. The others seemed to have similar scars, too. There was a tall, redheaded boy with freckles and a long nose and a black-haired boy with another scar on his forehead. But there was something unusual about this scar: it was shaped like a lightning bolt.

"Excuse me, Professor, but what's going on?" Minerva asked her Head of House.

"Our guests," he gestured to the bushy-haired girl, ginger and lightning-bolt boy, "have brought us a book to read. I've been told it contains some very interesting things that might be handy in the future."

"What book is this, may I ask?" she turned to the still-unnamed people.

"Well, it doesn't really have a title, per-say, but –"

"Oh come on, Harry, I thought we agreed on this already!" the ginger interrupted. "We're calling it: _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!_ Remember?"

"Ronald, that was all when this was just hypothetical -" the bushy-haired girl said.

"Hermione, it makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, we've went over this enough. If we had a book for our seven years, they'd be _The Philosopher's Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of_ –"

"Yeah, we get it Ron. But it's not like this is going to be published or anything," the boy named Harry said, "it's just to warn them about the future. What will happen and how to stop it in its tracks, you know?"

"Alright, but I reckon that we _could_ publish them! We'd make a fortune! Not that you'd need it, now that you've got your whole 'family vault' and 'collateral damage reimbursement' from the bloody Ministry –"

"Ronald, would you please just shut it already? We've more important things to do than listen to your rambling on about Merlin knows what!" Hermione said. She turned to Minerva, "I'm Hermione Granger, by the way. Sorry for Ronald, he's been a pain ever since, well, you'll find out. And this is Harry, Harry Potter."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Minerva –"

"Yeah, we know who you are, Professor," Ron said smugly.

"_Professor?_" she gasped.

"RONALD!" Hermione shouted as she smacked him on the arm.

"What do you mean –_ Professor_?"

"Er – well, that's the thing. We're from the –"

"Perhaps we should wait until the other students are gathered before we tell them exactly where you're from," Dumbledore said.

"Not to worry," came a familiar voice, "you needn't wait any longer. I've got Tom and Hagrid's on his way right now," said Professor Slughorn.

"I don't get it, why are you gathering together me, Tom Riddle and Hagrid? Is this about the Chamber? Because I can assure you I know nothing –"

"Miss McGonagall, you're not in any trouble. This book just involves Tom and Rubeus, as well as yourself. That's why you're all being gathered. These people," Dumbledore gestured to Hermione, Ron and Harry, "wish for you to know what we will read. Now that Hagrid's here," he said as said person arrived, "we can make our way over to the, what was it called again? Oh! Room of Requirement! Yes, we can go there and begin to read. Follow me, everyone!" Tom grumbled and grudgingly followed the Transfiguration professor as everyone else curiously chatted along the way there.

They made their way up to the seventh floor and watched as the three strangers paced three times in front of a blank wall. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a door appeared!

"This is the Room of Requirement," Hermione explained, "it is sometimes called the Come and Go Room by the house elves. It provides everything you need it to, aside from food of course but that's just –"

"Because of Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration," Minerva finished. Ron sniggered, and earned himself one of her famous glares.

"Bloddy hell, even now she still looks at you like that!" That earned him one of Hermione's famous smacks.

"Anyway," she continued on, "the Room of Requirement can transform itself into anything you need it to be. It can be, say, a room for hidden objects," she said, casting a glance towards her friends, "or a room for a secret organisation meeting," another glance, "or, in our case, just a room full of comfortable seats where we can read our book."

"If I may ask now that everyone's here," Minerva started, "why did you call me Professor earlier?"

"Well," Harry said as he pushed open the door to the room and made his way to a seat, "the thing is, we're from the future."

Minerva stared at him with a confused look, Tom glared and Hagrid laughed, while Slughorn, Dumbledore and Dippet just smiled.

"But- but- that's – " Minerva started.

"Yeh guys are bleedin' hilarious! Now tell me, though, where are yeh lot from, seriously?" Hagrid said.

"Seriously, we're from the future. There was an incident a few years ago, well, a few years ago in our time, where the time-turners at the Ministry where broken. They were experimenting making new ones now, and they came up with a design which could take up to three people back decades," Harry started to explain. He pulled out a time-turner that was hanging around his neck from under his shirt. "Something very bad happened in our time. We fixed it, but at a very, very great cost," he looked at Dumbledore with sad eyes. "We were hoping that coming back this far could change things before they got too far."

"What happened?" Tom asked with wide eyes.

"If we can start reading, then maybe you'll find out," Ron said rudely.

"This book takes place during what would be our seventh year at Hogwarts. The year was 1997," Hermione said, trying to cover up Ron's lack of manners, even if they were directed toward a soon-to-be mass-murdering megalomaniac.

"Let's get started then," Minerva said, taking a seat down next to Dumbledore on one of the couches.

"I'll read first," said Harry. "We might need to stop every now and then and fill you in on some things that you wouldn't know unless you were there for our first six years, but in general it should be pretty easy to follow." He noticed Tom staring at him while he said this, and couldn't help but feel angry. The boy had probably already made his first Horcrux! And was he staring at – no he couldn't be, could he? – his scar?

"The first chapter is called The Dark Lord Ascending."

Tom smiled.

**So what do you think? Should I continue? Leave reviews please, they really make my day. Hopefully the next chapter will be up by tomorrow or at least the day after that. **

**xoxo,**

**Bex**


	2. Chapter 1: The Dark Lord Ascending

A/N: HOLY CRAP! I was not expecting so much feedback on the first chapter, thanks so much for all the story alerts, favorites, and especially reviews! I hope I don't disappoint with this chapter. And a special thanks to SkylerBlack who offered some constructive criticism. I need that to grow as an author :) If you find any subtle AVPM or Doctor Who references, they are completely unintentional. I'm listening to the soundtrack to AVPM and just finished season 2 of DW, so I have them fresh in my mind :P

**The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane. For a second they stood quite still, wands directed at each other's chests; then, recognizing each other, they stowed their wands beneath their cloaks and started walking briskly in the same direction. "News?" asked the taller of the two. "The best," replied Severus Snape. The lane was bordered on the left by wild, low-growing brambles, on the right by a high, neatly manicured hedge. The men's long cloaks flapped around their ankles as they marched. "Thought I might be late," said Yaxley, his blunt features sliding in and out of sight as the branches of overhanging trees broke the moonlight. "It was a little trickier than I expected. But I hope he will be satisfied. You sound confident that your reception will be good?" Snape nodded, but did not elaborate. They turned right, into a wide driveway that led off the lane. The high hedge curved into them, running off into the distance beyond the pair of imposing wrought-iron gates barring the men's way. Neither of them broke step: In silence both raised their left arms in a kind of salute and passed straight through, as though the dark metal was smoke.**

"I've never heard of a charm like that," Minerva commented.

"Charms like that are often tied into Dark magic," Dumbledore told her, scowling a bit.

**The yew hedges muffled the sound of the men's footsteps. There was a rustle somewhere to their right: Yaxley drew his wand again pointing it over his companion's head, but the source of the noise proved to be nothing more than a pure-white peacock, strutting majestically along the top of the hedge. **

"**He always did himself well, Lucius. _Peacocks _…" Yaxley thrust his wand back under his cloak with a snort. **

**A handsome manor house grew out of the darkness at the end of the straight drive, lights glinting in the diamond paned downstairs windows. Somewhere in the dark garden beyond the hedge a fountain was playing. Gravel crackled beneath their feet as Snape and Yaxley sped toward the front door, which swung inward at their approach, though nobody had visibly opened it. **

"Could this be Malfoy Manor?" Horace asked the future trio. Harry nodded.

**The hallway was large, dimly lit, and sumptuously decorated, with a magnificent carpet covering most of the stone floor. The eyes of the pale-faced portraits on the wall followed Snape and Yaxley as they strode past. The two men halted at a heavy wooden door leading into the next room, hesitated for the space of a heartbeat, then Snape turned the bronze handle. **

**The drawing room was full of silent people, sitting at a long and ornate table. The room's usual furniture had been pushed carelessly up against the walls. Illumination came from a roaring fire beneath a handsome marble mantelpiece surmounted by a gilded mirror. Snape and Yaxley lingered for a moment on the threshold. As their eyes grew accustomed to the lack of light, they were drawn upward to the strangest feature of the scene: an apparently unconscious human figure hanging upside down over the table, revolving slowly as if suspended by an invisible rope, and reflected in the mirror and in the bare, polished surface of the table below. None of the people seated underneath this singular sight were looking at it except for a pale young man sitting almost directly below it. He seemed unable to prevent himself from glancing upward every minute or so. **

"**Yaxley. Snape," said a high, clear voice from the head of the table. "You are very nearly late." **

**The speaker was seated directly in front of the fireplace, so that it was difficult, at first, for the new arrivals to make out more than his silhouette. As they drew nearer, however, his face shone through the gloom, hairless, snakelike, with slits for nostrils and gleaming red eyes whose pupils were vertical. He was so pale that he seemed to emit a pearly glow. **

"**Severus, here," said Voldemort, indicating the seat on his immediate right. "Yaxley – beside Dolohov." **

"Voldemort? Who is – "

"I know," Minerva said softly, looking over at Tom with a disgusted look. "You actually did it, you actually became a Dark wizard. I can't believe... In the library last year, you told me how you planned on changing your name once you left Hogwarts. That you wanted to become the most powerful wizard in the world, and the most powerful wizard can't have a Muggle name. Lord Voldemort, you said. An anagram of your name."

"Tom?" Armando and Horace gasped.

"It seems my suspicions were correct," Albus said to no one in particular. Tom just looked down into his lap, though his eyes were gleaming with a mysterious red tinge.

"Can you explain, please, about this Voldemort –" Dippet asked Harry.

"Voldemort, formerly Tom Marvolo Riddle," he said glaring at the boy, "is the darkest wizard in history. His followers were called the Death Eaters. He murdered many people," Harry said solemnly. Ron had his wand in his hand, tapping it repeatedly against his thigh as he shot a death stare at Tom. It was the bastard's fault his brother was dead.

"But, I thought Grindelwald was –" Minerva started.

"You must remember, my dear, that this takes place some fifty years in the future. It's very possible that an even greater dark wizard may rise to power," Dumbledore told her, though Harry noticed that he winced at the reminder of his old friend. Their famous duel hadn't taken place yet, Grindelwald was still at large. "I'll continue, if you don't mind."

**The two men took their allotted places. Most of the eyes around the table followed Snape, and it was to him that Voldemort spoke first. **

"**So?" **

"**My Lord, the Order of the Phoenix intends to move Harry Potter from his current place of safety on Saturday next, at nightfall." **

"What's the Order of the Phoenix?" Hagrid piped in.

"A secret society formed by Dumbledore against Voldemort," Hermione said with a smile towards her old Headmaster. "Dumbledore was the only one that You-Kno – Voldemort, sorry – was afraid of."

"And why were they protecting yeh, Harry?"

"Voldemort wanted to kill me," he said with the straightest face he could muster. It was getting harder and harder to keep his temper down; to not jump up and hex Tom Riddle right now.

"But, you're just a boy!" Horace said, shocked.

"The Boy-Who-Lived," Ron sniggered. He received many confused looks.

"Harry, here, is the only person known to survive the Killing Curse," Ron said proudly, smirking at Tom. The room gaped.

"That- that scar on your forehead," Tom finally said, "I gave it to you."

"Yes. The same night you killed my parents. You tried to kill me too, but I survived and you lost your body. The only things left tying you to the world were your Horcruxes."

"Horcruxes – as in, more than one?" Horace was appalled. "How can anyone make more than one?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask Tom here. He made seven of the bloody things," Ron muttered.

"SEVEN?" Horace and Dippet shot out of their chairs.

"What's a Horcrux?" Minerva asked, confused by the hysterics of the staff.

"It's when someone splits a piece of their soul by murder and places it in an object. This means that if their body gets destroyed their soul lives on. They're, in a sense, immortal."

"Tom! You're going to do that?" she exclaimed!

"I've already made one," Tom smiled to himself. Now that his secret was out he might as well not even try to keep up the good-boy act anymore.

"You – you've already KILLED SOMEONE?" Minerva shouted.

"Multiple," he smirked. "I'm the Heir of Slytherin."

"AND YEH FRAMED ME? FOR YER OWN BLOODY DOIN'?" Hagrid stormed.

"Well, I couldn't have myself take the fall, now could I? By the way, Minerva, how's your friend, what's her name, oh, Myrtle was it?"

"DON'T YOU EVEN DARE MENTION HER NAME, YOU MURDERING BASTARD!" she shouted at him. "I believed you. I believed that you didn't know what happened to her that night – "

"Well, I did have an alibi," he winked at her. Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other. An alibi... ?

"That was before I knew you were a murdering psychopath," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and sinking back into her chair.

"Are we missing something or – " Ron started.

"No!" she snapped as her cheeks flushed.

"Come on, Minnie, just because there are professors in the room doesn't mean you can't –"

"TOM RIDDLE YOU SHUT YOUR GODDAMN FILTHY MOUTH RIGHT NOW!" she screamed. The three teenagers from the future were shocked; they had never seen their Transfiguration Professor lose control like that.

"I seem to remember you preferred it open," he retorted. He was met with a slap in the face.

Ron leaned over to Harry and whispered in his ear, "Is it just me, or does it seem like McGonagall and Riddle had some – "

"Don't even say it, please. I'm disgusted enough," Harry whispered back. He turned to the rest of the room and spoke, "Er – interesting as this conversation has been, do you think we can finish reading? I'd rather not hear about what happened during my Transfiguration professor's time at school."

"Very well put, Harry. I'll continue," Dumbledore said and continued.

**The interest around the table sharpened palpably: Some stiffened, others fidgeted, all gazing at Snape and Voldemort. **

"**Saturday … at nightfall," repeated Voldemort. His red eyes fastened upon Snape's black ones with such intensity that some of the watchers looked away, apparently fearful that they themselves would be scorched by the ferocity of the gaze. Snape, however, looked calmly back into Voldemort's face and, after a moment or two, Voldemort's lipless mouth curved into something like a smile. **

"**Good. Very good. And this information comes –" **

" – **from the source we discussed," said Snape. **

"**My Lord." **

**Yaxley had leaned forward to look down the long table at Voldemort and Snape. All faces turned to him. **

"**My Lord, I have heard differently." **

**Yaxley waited, but Voldemort did not speak, so he went on, "Dawlish, the Auror, let slip that Potter will not be moved until the thirtieth, the night before the boy turns seventeen." **

**Snape was smiling. **

"**My source told me that there are plans to lay a false trail; this must be it. No doubt a Confundus Charm has been placed upon Dawlish. It would not be the first time; he is known to be susceptible." **

"**I assure you, my Lord, Dawlish seemed quite certain," said Yaxley. **

"**If he has been Confunded, naturally he is certain," said Snape. "I assure _you_, Yaxley, the Auror Office will play no further part in the protection of Harry Potter. The Order believes that we have infiltrated the Ministry." **

"**The Order's got one thing right, then, eh?" said a squat man sitting a short distance from Yaxley; he gave a wheezy giggle that was echoed here and there along the table. **

"You've infiltrated the Ministry?" Armando looked down at his prized pupil. To think that he would become such a monster... It was unimaginable. If it weren't for the fact that Tom had just admitted to being the Heir then he would have thought this whole book was a lie.

"_He_ hasn't done anything yet," Minerva spat. "This book is here so we can change what's going to happen. Starting by making sure he _never_ becomes this 'Lord Voldemort' he so desires to become."

"You seriously believe that a simple _book_ will stop me? I never knew you were this daft, Minerva."

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Harry shouted, jumping out of his seat. He was done holding in his anger, he was done being the bigger person once again when faced with Voldemort. "_Cruc –_"

"HARRY!" Hermione jumped up. "If you do that, then you're just as bad as him!"

"HE MURDERED MY PARENTS, HERMIONE! HE KILLED EVERYONE I LOVED! HE MADE THE FIRST SEVENTEEN YEARS OF MY LIFE A LIVING HELL, AND YOU EXPECT ME TO JUST SIT HERE AND LISTEN TO HIM INSULT ONE OF THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THERE FOR ME?" Harry bellowed. He lowered his wand, but didn't stop staring at Tom. The boy had a sick, sadistic look in his eyes. He was _enjoying_ Harry's suffering.

"I knew it was a mistake to involve him in this reading," Hermione said quietly as she buried her face in her hands. Ron wrapped his arm around her as she cried, and put his other hand on Harry's shoulder. He turned to Dumbledore.

"Professor, do you think we can continue reading?"

"Of course, Mr. Weasley. I'm sure everyone would appreciate it if there were minimal interruptions as we continue," Dumbledore said, looking at his current students. Minerva nodded while Tom just grinned.

**Voldemort did not laugh. His gaze had wandered upward to the body revolving slowly overhead, and he seemed to be lost in thought. **

"**My Lord," Yaxley went on, "Dawlish believes an entire party of Aurors will be used to transfer the boy –" **

**Voldemort held up a large white hand, and Yaxley subsided at once, watching resentfully as Voldemort turned back to Snape. **

"**Where are they going to hide the boy next?" **

"**At the home of one of the Order," said Snape. "The place, according to the source, has been given every protection that the Order and Ministry together could provide. I think that there is little chance of taking him once he is there, my Lord, unless, of course, the Ministry has fallen before next Saturday, which might give us the opportunity to discover and undo enough of the enchantments to break through the rest." **

"**Well, Yaxley?" Voldemort called down the table, the firelight glinting strangely in his red eyes. "_Will _the Ministry have fallen by next Saturday?" **

**Once again, all heads turned. Yaxley squared his shoulders. **

"**My Lord, I have good news on that score. I have – with difficulty, and after great effort – succeeded in placing an Imperius Curse upon Pius Thicknesse." **

**Many of those sitting around Yaxley looked impressed; his neighbor, Dolohov, a man with a long, twisted face, clapped him on the back. **

"**It is a start," said Voldemort. "But Thicknesse is only one man. Scrimgeour must be surrounded by our people before I act. One failed attempt on the Minister's life will set me back a long way." **

"**Yes – my Lord, that is true – but you know, as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Thicknesse has regular contact not only with the Minister himself, but also with the Heads of all the other Ministry departments. It will, I think, be easy now that we have such a high-ranking official under our control, to subjugate the others, and then they can all work together to bring Scrimgeour down." **

"**As long as our friend Thicknesse is not discovered before he has converted the rest," said Voldemort. "At any rate, it remains unlikely that the Ministry will be mine before next Saturday. If we cannot touch the boy at his destination, then it must be done while he travels." **

"**We are at an advantage there, my Lord," said Yaxley, who seemed determined to receive some portion of approval. "We now have several people planted within the Department of Magical Transport. If Potter Apparates or uses the Floo Network, we shall know immediately." **

"**He will not do either," said Snape. "The Order is eschewing any form of transport that is controlled or regulated by the Ministry; they mistrust everything to do with the place." **

"**All the better," said Voldemort. "He will have to move in the open. Easier to take, by far." **

**Again, Voldemort looked up at the slowly revolving body as he went on, "I shall attend to the boy in person. There have been too many mistakes where Harry Potter is concerned. Some of them have been my own. That Potter lives is due more to my errors than to his triumphs." **

"I hate to interrupt," Slughorn said. Ron coughed obnoxiously, obviously not believing that the professor was actually sorry. "But exactly how many times have you and Tom faced each other before this?"

"Er – well, there was once in my first year where he tried to steal the Philosopher's Stone, he was possessing one of the professors since he hadn't gotten his body back then. And then in my second year the Chamber of Secrets was opened again, and I met a memory of him in there – "

"Wait – you got into the Chamber?" Tom asked. "How?"

"The night you tried to kill me, you passed some powers into me. I became a Parselmouth. Anyway, I was in the Chamber, saving Ron's sister because you possessed her through one of your Horcruxes. It was a diary. Hermione here was even Petrified by the basilisk –"

"That's what the monster is?" Minerva exclaimed. "A basilisk... it all makes sense!"

"Yeah, Hermione actually figured it out. That's why she was only Petrified, she was carrying around a mirror with her and only saw its reflection. So in the Chamber, I met a memory of Volde- er, Tom, and he tried to get the basilisk to kill me. But then Fawkes," Harry nodded towards Dumbledore, "came and brought me the Sorting Hat. Fawkes blinded the snake and I pulled out the sword of Gryffindor from the hat. I killed the basilisk, but it bit me. Fawkes' tears saved me. I stabbed the diary with a basilisk fang and I destroyed that Horcrux."

"And this was your – your _second_ year?" Dippet said, obviously in awe.

"In our first year we defeated a troll, got past a three-headed dog and played a won a giant game of Wizard Chess," Ron said casually. This caused jaws to drop.

"Er – anyway, our third year didn't really have much to do with Voldemort. I learned that the person who everyone thought betrayed my parents to him, though, was actually innocent. And that the actual traitor was still alive and posing as Ron's rat. Then in my fourth year I was a Triwizard Tournament champion –"

"Triwizard Tournament?" Dippet asked. "I would never allow such a thing to take place at Hogwarts!"

"Professor Dumbledore was our Headmaster. He tried to get me out of the tournament, but there was no way. So at the end, there was a maze and at the finish of the maze there was the Triwizard Cup. It was a portkey. It took me and Cedric, another champion, to a graveyard. That's where Voldemort got his body back. We dueled, and I got away –"

"How did you get away? You were, what, fourteen?" Slughorn said.

"Our wands have this connection –"

"Twin cores," Dumbledore mumbled.

"How do you know?" Hermione asked.

"The tail feather that's in Tom's wand is from my phoenix. Fawkes gave one other feather, so I'm guessing that feather is in Harry's wand. Priori Incantatem must have occurred."

"Priori Incan- what?" Hagrid asked.

"When twin cores meet each other, they perform something unusual. They meet and show ghostly versions of the previous spells cast," Hermione said. "The wands recognize each other as brothers and refuse to destroy each other."

"Yeah, so these ghost versions of Cedric, my parents, and some other people he killed with his wand appeared. They held him off until I could grab Cedric's body and the cup. I got back to Hogwarts and it turns out that my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was actually a Death Eater taking Polyjuice Potion. Then all of the next year, the Ministry refused to believe that Voldemort was back. I started getting these weird dreams and visions, and we found out that there was a connection between Voldemort and me through my scar. I tried to learn Occlumency but it didn't work out. Voldemort figured out the connection, though, and placed a false vision in my head. He led me to the Department of Mysteries and – " Harry paused and swallowed. It was still hard talking about Sirius. Ron and Hermione placed their arms around him. "My godfather was killed. Voldemort and Dumbledore dueled. Then he tried to possess me, but it didn't work. My soul was too pure, and it caused him unbearable pain to touch it. Later that night was when Dumbledore told me about a prophecy that was made before I was born. I found out the reason why he went after me when I was a baby. It said, that the one who could defeat him would be born at the end of July to parents who defied him three times. Voldemort would mark him as his equal but he would have power that Voldemort doesn't. One must die at the hand of the other because neither can live while the other survives_. _This could have referred to me or one other boy, but Voldemort chose me; he marked me as his equal. But Voldemort only heard the first half of the prophecy. He only knew that the one who could beat him would be born at the end of July to parents who had defied him three times. He didn't know that I have power he doesn't. Then my sixth year, Professor Dumbledore gave me private lessons. We went into his Pensieve and learned all about your past, Tom. We found out about your parents, about your grandparents, about what you'll do after Hogwarts, and about all of your Horcruxes. The end of that year, we went to the cave where you tortured those kids from your orphanage," Harry said, eyeing the boy with the red gleam in his eyes. "Dumbledore had to drink a potion to get to the Horcrux, and it made him relive some things from his past," he looked at the professor this time, and gave him a sympathetic look. "We had to fight an army of Inferi to get out, and when we finally got back to Hogwarts, we were stopped on the Astronomy Tower." Harry stopped and took a deep breath. "You were killed that night, Professor. And that pretty much sums up all my six years at Hogwarts. So I guess to answer your question, I faced Tom four times before the start of this book."

"Oh my," Slughorn murmured.

"Please keep reading, Professor," Harry said to Dumbledore, trying to take some of the attention off himself.

**The company around the table watched Voldemort apprehensively, each of them, by his or her expression, afraid that they might be blamed for Harry Potter's continued existence. Voldemort, however, seemed to be speaking more to himself than to any of them, still addressing the unconscious body above him. **

"**I have been careless, and so have been thwarted by luck and chance, those wreckers of all but the best-laid plans. But I know better now. I understand those things that I did not understand before. I must be the one to kill Harry Potter, and I shall be." **

**At these words, seemingly in response to them, a sudden wail sounded, a terrible, drawn-out cry of misery and pain. Many of those at the table looked downward, startled, for the sound had seemed to issue from below their feet. **

"**Wormtail," said Voldemort, with no change in his quiet, thoughtful tone, and without removing his eyes from the revolving body above, "have I not spoken to you about keeping our prisoner quiet?" **

"**Yes, m-my Lord," gasped a small man halfway down the table, who had been sitting so low in his chair that it appeared, at first glance, to be unoccupied. Now he scrambled from his seat and scurried from the room, leaving nothing behind him but a curious gleam of silver. **

"That's the one who betrayed my parents," Harry said angrily. "He gave his hand to bring Voldemort back to his body, and in return he got a silver hand."

"**As I was saying," continued Voldemort, looking again at the tense faces of his followers, "I understand better now. I shall need, for instance, to borrow a wand from one of you before I go to kill Potter." **

**The faces around him displayed nothing but shock; he might have announced that he wanted to borrow one of their arms. **

"**No volunteers?" said Voldemort. "Let's see … Lucius, I see no reason for you to have a wand anymore." **

**Lucius Malfoy looked up. His skin appeared yellowish and waxy in the firelight, and his eyes were sunken and shadowed. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse. **

"**My Lord?" **

"**Your wand, Lucius. I require your wand." **

"**I …" **

**Malfoy glanced sideways at his wife. She was staring straight ahead, quite as pale as he was, her long blonde hair hanging down her back, but beneath the table her slim fingers closed briefly on his wrist. At her touch, Malfoy put his hand into his robes, withdrew a wand, and passed it along to Voldemort, who held it up in front of his red eyes, examining it closely. **

"**What is it?" **

"**Elm, my Lord," whispered Malfoy. **

"**And the core?" **

"**Dragon – dragon heartstring." **

"**Good," said Voldemort. He drew out his wand and compared the lengths. Lucius Malfoy made an involuntary movement; for a fraction of a second, it seemed he expected to receive Voldemort's wand in exchange for his own. The gesture was not missed by Voldemort, whose eyes widened maliciously. **

"**Give you my wand, Lucius? _My _wand?" **

**Some of the throng sniggered. **

"**I have given you your liberty, Lucius, is that not enough for you? But I have noticed that you and your family seem less than happy of late … What is it about my presence in your home that displaces you, Lucius?" **

"**Nothing – nothing, my Lord!" **

"**Such _lies _Lucius … " **

**The soft voice seemed to hiss on even after the cruel mouth had stopped moving. One or two of the wizards barely repressed a shudder as the hissing grew louder; something heavy could be heard sliding across the floor beneath the table. **

**The huge snake emerged to climb slowly up Voldemort's chair. It rose, seemingly endlessly, and came to rest across Voldemort's shoulders: its neck the thickness of a man's thigh; its eyes, with their vertical slits for pupils, unblinking. Voldemort stroked the creature absently with long thin fingers, still looking at Lucius Malfoy. **

"**Why do the Malfoys look so unhappy with their lot? Is my return, my rise to power, not the very thing they professed to desire for so many years?" **

"**Of course, my Lord," said Lucius Malfoy. His hand shook as he wiped sweat from his upper lip. "We did desire it – we do." **

**To Malfoy's left, his wife made an odd, stiff nod, her eyes averted from Voldemort and the snake. To his right, his son, Draco, who had been gazing up at the inert body overhead, glanced quickly at Voldemort and away again, terrified to make eye contact. **

"**My Lord," said a dark woman halfway down the table, her voice constricted with emotion, "it is an honor to have you here, in our family's house. There can be no higher pleasure." **

Hermione shuddered at the mention of Bellatrix.

**She sat beside her sister, as unlike her in looks, with her dark hair and heavily lidded eyes, as she was in bearing and demeanor; where Narcissa sat rigid and impassive, Bellatrix leaned toward Voldemort, for mere words could not demonstrate her longing for closeness. **

"**No higher pleasure," repeated Voldemort, his head tilted a little to one side as he considered Bellatrix. "That means a great deal, Bellatrix, from you." **

**Her face flooded with color; her eyes welled with tears of delight. **

"**My Lord knows I speak nothing but the truth!" **

"**No higher pleasure … even compared with the happy event that, I hear, has taken place in your family this week?" **

**She stared at him, her lips parted, evidently confused. **

"**I don't know what you mean, my Lord." **

"**I'm talking about your niece, Bellatrix. And yours, Lucius and Narcissa. She has just married the werewolf, Remus Lupin. You must be so proud." **

"He may be a werewolf, but he was also the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had," Harry muttered. He was still mourning the loss of him.

**There was an eruption of jeering laughter from around the table. Many leaned forward to exchange gleeful looks; a few thumped the table with their fists. The giant snake, disliking the disturbance, opened its mouth wide and hissed angrily, but the Death Eaters did not hear it, so jubilant were they at Bellatrix and the Malfoys' humiliation. Bellatrix's face, so recently flushed wit happiness, had turned an ugly, blotchy red. **

"**She is no niece of ours, my Lord," she cried over the outpouring of mirth. "We – Narcissa and I – have never set eyes on our sister since she married the Mudblood. This brat has nothing to do with either of us, nor any beast she marries." **

"**What say you, Draco?" asked Voldemort, and though his voice was quiet, it carried clearly through the catcalls and jeers. "Will you babysit the cubs?" **

**The hilarity mounted; Draco Malfoy looked in terror at his father, who was staring down into his own lap, then caught his mother's eye. She shook her head almost imperceptibly, then resumed her own deadpan stare at the opposite wall. **

"**Enough," said Voldemort, stroking the angry snake. "Enough." **

**And the laughter died at once. **

"**Many of our oldest family trees become a little diseased over time," he said as Bellatrix gazed at him, breathless and imploring, "You must prune yours, must you not, to keep it healthy? Cut away those parts that threaten the health of the rest." **

"**Yes, my Lord," whispered Bellatrix, and her eyes swam with tears of gratitude again. "At the first chance!" **

"**You shall have it," said Voldemort. "And in your family, so in the world … we shall cut away the canker that infects us until only those of the true blood remain …" **

**Voldemort raised Lucius Malfoy's wand, pointed it directly at the slowly revolving figure suspended over the table, and gave it a tiny flick. The figure came to life with a groan and began to struggle against invisible bonds. **

"**Do you recognize our guest, Severus?" asked Voldemort. **

**Snape raised his eyes to the upside down face. All of the Death Eaters were looking up at the captive now, as though they had been given permission to show curiosity. As she revolved to face the firelight, the woman said in a cracked and terrified voice, "Severus! Help me!" **

"**Ah, yes," said Snape as the prisoner turned slowly away again. **

"**And you, Draco?" asked Voldemort, stroking the snake's snout with his wand-free hand. Draco shook his head jerkily. Now that the woman had woken, he seemed unable to look at her anymore. **

"**But you would not have taken her classes," said Voldemort. "For those of you who do not know, we are joined here tonight by Charity Burbage who, until recently, taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." **

**There were small noises of comprehension around the table. A broad, hunched woman with pointed teeth cackled. **

"**Yes … Professor Burbage taught the children of witches and wizards all about Muggles … how they are not so different from us … " **

**One of the Death Eaters spat on the floor. Charity Burbage revolved to face Snape again. **

"**Severus … please … please … " **

"**Silence," said Voldemort, with another twitch of Malfoy's wand, and Charity fell silent as if gagged. "Not content with corrupting and polluting the minds of Wizarding children, last week Professor Burbage wrote an impassioned defense of Mudbloods in the _Daily Prophet_. Wizards, she says, must accept these thieves of their knowledge and magic. The dwindling of the purebloods is, says Professor Burbage, a most desirable circumstance … She would have us all mate with Muggles … or, no doubt, werewolves … " **

**Nobody laughed this time. There was no mistaking the anger and contempt in Voldemort's voice. For the third time, Charity Burbage revolved to face Snape. Tears were pouring from her eyes into her hair. Snape looked back at her, quite impassive, as she turned slowly away from him again. **

"**_Avada Kedavra" _**

**The flash of green light illuminated every corner of the room. Charity fell, with a resounding crash, onto the table below, which trembled and creaked. Several of the Death Eaters leapt back in their chairs. Draco fell out of his onto the floor. **

"**Dinner, Nagini," said Voldemort softly, and the great snake swayed and slithered from his shoulders onto the polished wood. **

"Tom, how could you do this?" Minerva asked with tears in her eyes.

"It's worth it, Minerva. I'll be immortal. And you could have been –"

"DO NOT MENTION THAT! I TOLD YOU ONCE AND I'LL TELL YOU AGAIN, I WILL NEVER PRACTICE DARK MAGIC!" she wailed. Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't know what to make of their usually stern professor as an emotional teenager.

"I'll read the next chapter, if no one else wants to," Slughorn said, trying to diffuse the tension in the room. Everyone nodded.


End file.
